A leading publication in the steel industry recently featured one of our own, Assistant Professor Andrew Ziccarelli.

The magazine Modern Steel Construction, published by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), interviewed Ziccarelli for its March 2026 edition and podcast. 

In the interview, Ziccarelli discussed what inspired him to leave the industrial design world to pursue a career in teaching.

“A couple of years into the job, I realized what really gets me going is technical content and pushing the envelope in analysis and research,” Ziccarelli said. 

After completing his Ph.D., Ziccarelli began teaching at NC State’s Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) in 2022. 

“It’s a rewarding feeling when I’m explaining a problem or going through an example and notice people following along, nodding and then it clicks for them,” Ziccarelli said. “That might be the most satisfying thing.”

Ziccarelli also discussed earning the Terry Peshia Early Career Faculty award in 2025 for his research on steel structures at extreme limits. AISC said his research “will allow the steel industry to develop more reliable design provisions and provide engineers with tools to more accurately assess the capacity of steel structures.”

The research will be included in the next edition of the AISC Seismic Provisions, a publication  that governs the design of steel structures to resist the damaging effect of earthquakes.

For Ziccarelli, the recognition is a great honor. 

“One of the goals of my research group is to translate fundamental knowledge about the behavior of steel structures into engineering practice, and I am thrilled that we were able to contribute to the upcoming edition of the AISC Seismic Provisions,” Ziccarelli said. “Hopefully our group can continue to enhance the safety and reliability of steel structures through our research.”